New layouts vacant inspite of the BDA sanctioning facilities

New layouts vacant inspite of the BDA sanctioning facilities
New Indian Express

Till last year, the complaint against the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) was that it did not provide basic amenities like power, water and underground drainage to its new layouts.

This meant that allottees, eager to build their dream homes, couldn’t do so. The BDA too was not sanctioning building plans for this very same reason in Visveswaraya Layout, Anjanapura and Banashankari VI stage.

Now, to overcome this problem, the BDA has provided drinking water, under-ground drainage (UGD) and power supply in many lanes of these areas including JP Nagar 9th Phase.

But the expected rush to build houses is absent. This has not hit BDA as much as it has the Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board (BWSSB).

In one particular lane in JP Nagar 9th phase, only two houses have come up but they would not give up their demand for water supply.

‘‘We agree with their point that it is their right to get water supply, having built their houses only after the plans were approved. But we are facing lot of technical difficulties in supplying water as there are not enough houses to avail it,’’ said a BWSSB official.

He however added that a resident, who is also a senior citizen, wrote to the authorities explaining the difficulties they face to collect their daily requirement of water from a far flung place because of lack of water in their own houses.

The BWSSB officials say if they release water in the newly laid pipes in these areas, much of the water will go waste as only a few houses use it.

They have nevertheless heeded the requests in some cases but it would be difficult to maintain the same level of flow in summer months when water will become scarce.

According to a town planning official, the bulk of these layouts continue to remain vacant for two reasons. Some genuinely don’t have the funds to build houses.

But there are also a number of them who don’t need houses but have bought BDA sites as an investment in real estate only to dispose off them for a better deal later.

Efforts of BDA to see that its layouts are occupied as soon as amenities are provided will bear fruit only when sites are allotted to those who truly need them.